This invention relates to a trim structure for installation at the joints formed between suspended ceilings and upright partitions.
In the construction of suspended ceilings, a series of main T-bars and cross T-bars are suspended from the main structural ceiling by hanger wires or other hangers. The T-bars are arranged to form an overhead grid on which rectangular ceiling tiles are supported. The edges of the ceiling tiles rest on the flanges of the T-bars and are thus easily removable to provide convenient access to the area above the suspended ceiling.
When the area below the suspended ceiling is to be partitioned, a wall track formed by an inverted metal channel is attached to the T-bars at the proper location. Channel shaped metal studs are then secured to the wall track at their top ends and to the floor or a sole plate at their bottom ends to provide the framework of the partition. Sheet rock or another type of wallboard is suitably secured to the framework and is taped and painted or otherwise finished to provide an attractive surface on the partition.
Although this type of construction has achieved considerable popularity, it has not been wholly without problems. One problem has been in the appearance of the joints between the ceiling and the partitions. The overhead wall track is secured against the bottom surfaces of the flanges of the T-bars and is thus spaced below the ceiling tiles by a distance equal to the thickness of the T-bar flanges, leaving a crack between the ceiling and the wall track.
In order to eliminate the crack, angle members are usually installed at the joints to fill the crack and provide a base for applying drywall tape right up to the ceiling tiles. The sheet rock is applied such that its top edge is even with the top of the wall track. An angle member is then installed between each pair of T-bars with one flange of the angle filling the crack above the sheet rock and the other flange lying along the sheet rock surface immediately below its top edge. The exposed flange of the angle is taped so that the finished surface of the partition extends up to the ceiling tiles.
Even when this procedure is properly followed and good craftmanship is used, the attractiveness of the partition suffers due to the presence of steps at each T-bar where the top edge of the partition drops down from the ceiling tile to the lower surface of the T-bar flange and then rises back up to the next ceiling tile on the other side of the T-bar. This stepped configuration gives the partition an uneven top edge which detracts considerably from its overall appearance. It is also necessary to fully cover the angle member with drywall tape and joint compound which necessitates taping up against the ceiling tiles. The partition must then be painted or otherwise finished or covered with wall paper or wall covering right up to the ceiling tiles. Consequently, drywall compound and paint can easily be splattered on the adjacent ceiling tiles and can ruin them and require replacement.